Kobayashi Maru scenario
See Kobayashi Maru (disambiguation) for related links. The Kobayashi Maru scenario was an infamous no-win scenario that was part of the curriculum for command-track cadets at Starfleet Academy in the 23rd century. It was primarily used to assess a cadet's discipline, character, and command capabilities when facing an impossible situation. In the scenario, a cadet was placed in command of a starship on patrol near the Organian Neutral Zone. The starship would receive a distress signal from the Kobayashi Maru, a civilian freighter that had been disabled in the zone after having struck a gravitic mine. If the cadet chose to enter the neutral zone in violation of treaties, the starship would be confronted by three Klingon ''K't'inga''-class battlecruisers. The test was considered a no-win scenario because it was impossible for the cadet to simultaneously save the Kobayashi Maru, avoid a fight with the Klingons, and escape from the neutral zone with the starship intact. : There were likely several variations of the Kobayashi Maru scenario that existed at various times. It's probable that the Academy instructors periodically retool the scenario to fit current events in the galaxy. In the 2250s, James T. Kirk became the first (and only known) cadet to ever beat the no-win scenario. After taking the test and failing twice, Kirk took the test a third time after surreptitiously reprogramming the computer to make it possible to win the scenario. Kirk got a commendation for "original thinking", and later commented wistfully that his stunt "had the virtue of never having been tried." Kirk would later defend his "cheating" by arguing that he didn't believe in the no-win scenario. Ironically, Kirk also defended the test itself by suggesting "how we face death is at least as important as how we face life". : During the filming of ''The Wrath of Khan, some people voiced concern at the notion of Kirk having "cheated" to pass the test. However, Nicholas Meyer defended the notion, saying it revealed an aspect of Kirk's character, and that the film, or Kirk, shouldn't be restricted by "television mentality".'' In 2285, Kirk, then an admiral serving as an instructor at the Academy, supervised Lieutenant Saavik's performance in the Kobayashi Maru scenario. Former [[USS Enterprise (NCC-1701)|USS Enterprise]] crew members Spock, Sulu, Uhura, and McCoy participated as "actors" in the simulation. Saavik's performance was predictably dismal; as Kirk observed, "She destroyed the simulator room and crew with it." (Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan) The term "kobayashi maru" may be a slang term for any hopeless situation in the 23rd century, at least in Starfleet Culture. Leonard McCoy considered his and James T. Kirk's imprisonment on Rura Penthe to be a "Kobayashi Maru", and told Kirk as much their first night at the penal mine. (Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country) A similar simulation was later used in the 24th century. It involved a damaged Ferengi ship and Romulan warbirds instead of Klingon battlecruisers, and was performed on the holodeck. (VOY: "Learning Curve") : The novel ''Avenger forwarded the idea that the Kobayashi Maru test still exists in the twenty-fourth century, but that the challenge is not how the cadets handle the situation, but how they reprogram the computer to allow them to win.'' Background Spock stated that he had never taken the Kobyashi Maru test, suggesting the test may have been introduced in the period between Spock's Academy training and Kirk's. However it's also possible that as a science officer for much of his Starfleet career, Spock was not required to take the test. In his death scene at the conclusion of Star Trek II: The Wrath of Khan, he would describe his sacrifice as his solution to the scenario. Apocrypha The Kobayashi Maru scenario has appeared in several novels and short stories (as published by Pocket Books, these are not canon, but have been approved by Paramount. Julia Ecklar’s The Kobayashi Maru tells how Kirk, Pavel Chekov, Montgomery Scott, and Sulu each faced the problem. Kirk won the scenario by reprogramming the simulation so that the Klingons believed he was a famous starship captain, though he was only a cadet at the time. Comic book stories of the Star Trek (DC volume 2) series are based on Ecklar's scenario. Three short stories in the Strange New Worlds anthology series have also tackled it. In "The Bottom Line," by Andrew Morby (SNW III) and Shawn Michael Scott‘s "Best Tools Available," (SNW VI) cadet Nog solves it in two entirely different (and thoroughly Ferengi) ways. Kevin Lauderdale's "A Test of Character" (SNW VII) depicts a different solution from Ecklar’s, one in which Kirk’s tampering is "cheating without cheating," since Kirk merely creates a level playing field, where success is not guaranteed. Pocket TNG: "Boogeymen" depicts Wesley Crusher's Kobayashi Maru-type test. In Peter David's New Frontier novel, Stone and Anvil, cadet Mackenzie Calhoun faces the challenge in his own unique way. Screenwriter Jack B. Sowards named the scenario after the Kobayashi family who were his neighbors. See also * Bridge Officer's Test de:Kobayashi-Maru-Test